How to Experience Meaningful Travel in Thailand
One of the buildings in the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand is a lush, beautiful, and generous country that opens itself to millions of tourists every year. It beckons its visitors with a calling. Some hear the call of Full Moon parties, others, the call of becoming a better Muay Thai fighter. The more adventurous travelers hear the calls of long treks into the mountains in the North while the meditators hear the calls of retreats at the centers for Buddhism. Everyone arrives into Thailand with the hopes of finding something deeper within themselves whether that's through partying or through a week of yoga. Ultimately, Thailand is often seen as the land of soul searching and finding a bit more purpose, no matter the pathway.
Don't let that intimidate you. You don't have to go with the intent of leaving a changed person, but you can arrive with knowing there are different ways to dive a little deeper. Because Thailand offers many ways to explore their country and many ways to explore you own self, there are options for everyone. Here are 7 ways to experience meaningful travel in Thailand:
1. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Tour the Many Temples
The country is over 90% Buddhist, and it has over 30,000 temples in use. Temples are the lifeblood of the culture. It's impossible to see a guide or itinerary to Thailand that don't mention visiting temples. You can view them purely as a tourist, taking in the architecture and learning about the history. You can visit them as someone who is curious about Buddhism and wanting to learn more about the practices, rites, and rituals. You can also view them as someone who is curious about spirituality, spending time reflecting on your own belief systems: what you like about it and what you might not like, what you like about the religion you're observing and what you don't like about it. Some of the older temples are also great moments to think about the people who built it, and how they showed up each day adding one brick on top of the last. Or even a moment to think about the people who have come over the the past 1,000 years to that same place looking for guidance and what we might share in common with them.
The large, reclining Buddha in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace in Bangkok
2. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Attend a Meditation Retreat
One of the main tenants of Buddhism is meditation, so it's no surprise that Thailand is also home to many meditation retreats. That said, the meditation retreats available aren't always related to Buddhism. The moment you dive into meditation, you quickly see there are many different styles and practices. From zen meditation to transcendental meditation, you have options. The 'goal', if you were to even call it that, for meditation is to find inner peace. I discovered meditation through learning more about mindfulness and how meditation can be a tool to help manage moments of anxiety and depression. Meditation retreats can range from something as short as an afternoon to something as long as multiple months. Pick the amount of time that feels like the right fit for you, and you'll always choose right.
I didn't think much about the connection between Thailand and meditation until we were in the country, so for me the search for a retreat was a little short notice. We also had our schedule already planned, so I was looking for something shorter and easy to fit into our plans. I quickly found many multi-day meditation retreats which wasn’t the right fit for me or for our journey at that time. Luckily, after searching a little longer, I kept returning to a one day meditation retreat called Monk Chat in Chiang Mai. It's a very unique offering given that it is one day and open to all levels (from those curious to those who have been practicing for years). You learn directly from a Buddhist monk about Buddhism and how meditation fits into it. I took copious notes, learned a lot, and have since applied the skills I learned that day. The most important reminder that has stuck with me since is that we're all right where we're supposed to be in this moment.
The students from the one day meditation retreat at Monk Chat. I’m in there somewhere 🤗
3. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Trek in the North
Climbing up Sticky Waterfall near Chiang Mai
In the north of Thailand, waterfalls and mountaintops welcome those who want to trek and interact with indigenous cultures. Every tourist we met in Chiang Mai had plans to trek or had just finished trekking. Similar to the meditation retreat, we didn't learn much about trekking until we were already in Chiang Mai and unfortunately didn’t set time aside for it. So instead, we did a one day tour with a local guide, Jackie, who also offers longer trekking tours into his family’s village.
Trekking, or really a multi-day hike sleeping in villages along the way, gives you a chance to learn more about nature of the area, the land, and the people who have cohabitated with it for years. You learn more about languages, about clothing, about food, and ways of living unique to the country and especially that area. If a multi-day trek sounds like too much for you, a day tour with Jackie is a great way to start. But if you're feeling more adventurous and spending a few days off the grid and living off the land sounds good, then there are options as well.
For us, a one day tour took us to a local market, a temple complex, an elephant sanctuary, and a fantastic waterfall. By the end of it, we wished we were spending more time with Jackie and learning more about his part of the country. Even in just one day, I learned so much about the different cultures, languages, and tribes in the area, that I can only imagine what experiences and learnings three days would bring.
4. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Learn About Elephants in Chiang Mai
Elephants often represent peace. In Cambodia the story is that they are the first to leave when conflict and war start, and they only return when it's peaceful again. Elephants have a long history throughout Southeast Asia from being indigenous to the area to how they were used for work purposes not too long ago. They're highly connected to the culture and interacting with these smart, beautiful creatures help build a more meaningful picture of the country of Thailand. Observing them and learning more about their connection to the culture puts the symbolism they represent into perspective.
A disclaimer on visiting elephant sanctuaries and tour companies…
Elephant sanctuaries are a highly contested topic, and the right way to interact with them continues to evolve. Initially, the guidance was to only select from tour companies that didn't allow riding because it can be harmful to the elephant. I've since seen further guidance to only visit those that don't allow riding or bathing elephants because bathing usually means they're trained for human interaction. In any case, use your own discretion in determining the right elephant tour company to visit, but it is difficult to fully know everything before visiting. Be curious and be kind to yourself as the decision is challenging at times. The best option, find a sanctuary that only allows viewing them from afar and letting them be the wild creatures they are.
5. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Stay at a Wellness Retreat
Ommmmmm. Just as Buddhism influences the role of meditation throughout the country, Buddhism also inspires a focus on yoga, wellness, and wellbeing. The beautiful nature, the slow pace, the bountiful produce, the traditional medicine, and the deeply spiritual side of the country make it the perfect place to spend a week, maybe two, focusing on centering the mind and the body. Similar to other meaningful methods on this list, wellness retreats come in many different styles. You can spend a week doing yoga, detoxing, resetting your diet, or a little bit of all of it. There are hundreds of retreats and thousands of programs from which to choose. To decide which is right for you, research a few different resorts and start to learn the different options and terminology they use. That will give you the keywords for narrowing your search.
We had the opportunity to spend five meaningful days at Absolute Sanctuary (thanks to a collaboration where we stayed in exchange for sharing our experience) when we stayed on Koh Samui. As a wellness retreat that offered different programs — including those solely focused on yoga or pilates or a full on detox — I had expectations of spending my days working out and eating well and finish at that. Instead, I was surprised by the deeper experience that we had, through supportive therapy sessions, reiki, and daily meditation that helped me align on my life goals and planning for the future. Our days were busier than I had expected as well. Who knew you could be 'busy' with massages, exercise classes, healthy meals, and therapy? The food at Absolute Sanctuary also exceeded expectations. The portions were created with health in mind, but we ended every meal feeling full and satisfied. It was the perfect reset and something we hope to do once a year. We also hope to bring our family so they can have a similar reset and refresh too.
Read the full review of our time at Absolute Sanctuary. Curious to see what it looks like? Check out the wellness retreat travel vlog of our stay at Absolute Sanctuary.
6. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Book into a Luxury Resort
If you're really wanting to relax and enjoy the finer things, Thailand has a fair share of luxury resorts to take care of you. Beautiful dinners next to the sea, infinity pools with island views, and villas with your own plunge pools, these resorts are built for ultimate calm and relaxation. Taking a break from the crazy schedule and hectic every day life, spending a few days to multiple weeks at a nice resort will shift your mindset. Instead of stressing about commutes, your biggest concerns will turn into how many hours you want to be in the sun or shade and what time you want to eat dinner.
We spent two nights at a beach pool villa at Explorar on Koh Samui (another collaboration where we stayed in exchange for sharing our experience) where our main concern was how can we spend as much time at our private plunge pool as possible. It was stunning. My favorite moment was opening the curtains every morning to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the sea and the other islands in the distance. We'd lazily make our way to the breakfast buffet with fresh fruit and a mix of western and thai breakfast options. We'd make the rounds from relaxing at our villa to reading by the main pool. We felt spoiled after spending a few days in their spaces solely made for relaxing.
7. Meaningful Travel in Thailand: Experience the Ancient Tradition of a Thai Massage
Thai Massage is so connected to the culture of Thailand that there is a small museum dedicated to it in the grounds of the Royal Palace. Thai massage started 2,500 years ago and has been practiced and perfected ever since. If you haven't had one at all, I think of it as more like a workout with a massage than just a massage. Or a very intense stretching session. It's not a passive massage. It's very active. It focuses on the different pressure points throughout the body, blood flow, and the overall energy of the body. It's believed that most people in Thailand get massages regularly. It's seen as a part of the overall bodily upkeep and wellbeing.
In Chiang Mai and other parts of the country you'll learn about different styles, specialties, and techniques within Thai massage. With any of them, be prepared to feel completely in a different world directly afterward (I'm usually in a daze) and a little sore in the days following due to the active movement of the massage. Lastly, don't forget to drink lots of water as your body works to flush any of the toxins that are working their way out.
The best massage we had during our time in Thailand was at Zira Spa in Chiang Mai. It was one of the fancier spas in the city, but the prices were still much more affordable when compared to prices in the US or UK. They were incredibly skilled, knew how to find the spots, and used the perfect pressure.
How to have a meaningful time in Thailand
In a perfect world, you'd be able to try each of these when visiting Thailand. But at the very least, choose one which calls to you. By deciding to visit Thailand, you've already chosen to embark on a journey to learn more about another part of the world. Thailand welcomes visitors with open arms and wants nothing more than for you to learn more about them. Picking any of these will help you get to know the country, the people, what is important to them, and how you can bring some of that back home with you.
